


Scream

by Maltishu (Reinapuff)



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gahyeon loves her too, Gen, JiU is best mom, Mentioned Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul, mentions Han Dong | Handong, mentions Kim Bora | SuA, mentions Kim Yoohyeon, mentions Lee Siyeon, mentions Lee Yubin | Dami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-25 03:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30082674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reinapuff/pseuds/Maltishu
Summary: Lee Gahyeon was always surrounded by love and by her members. The women who gave her strength during her weakest moments, and the women who inspired her to do better for them and for herself.But when her fears come on too strong, Gahyeon is left paralized before a performance and unsure of how to come back to her reality. And as if it was clockwork, leader Kim Minji came to her side to comfort her. Call it a responsibility, but being the eldest, Minji felt it was her job to be there for her maknae.
Relationships: Lee Gahyeon & Kim Minji | JiU
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Scream

Doll-like. Cute. Their precious fox.

Their beloved maknae.

Lee Gahyeon was always surrounded by love and by her members. The women who gave her strength during her weakest moments, and the women who inspired her to do better for them and for herself.

But when her fears come on too strong, Gahyeon is left paralized before a performance and unsure of how to come back to her reality. And as if it was clockwork, leader Kim Minji came to her side to comfort her. Call it a responsibility, but being the eldest, Minji felt it was her job to be there for her maknae. She saw Gahyeon as a little sister, as did the other five women. And she would do anything to make sure Gahyeon was smiling again.

––––––––––

Anxiety is a normal part of being a human being. The feelings of being nervous come and go depending on situations. Performers trained to use this nervousness to their advantages, further giving them energy on stage. It can get the better or worst of anyone depending on the situation. Some anxiety, however, can be a bit debilitating. It can paralyze some people in fear. This truly never happened to Gahyeon until one night. Awards shows were huge, and this was the one night Gahyeon’s mind played the game better than she did.

The rest of the group looked fine.

Handong and Yoohyeon were playing some sort of mobile game together, Yubin was watching over Yoohyeon’s shoulder.

Siyeon and Bora both were jokingly dancing and singing around to what they were planning to do, which caused the dressing room to erupt into laughter every now and then. 

That left Minji on her own, but she was on her social media and reading stuff.

Gahyeon however, was not looking so good. She got up from her spot next to Handong and silently weaved through the room until she hit the door and walked right on out without making a single sound. Her eyes began to dart around, trying to find someone to ask for the quietest spot possible. Though where they were at, that seemed to be a near impossible find. One could hear other groups finishing their rehearsals on stage, or singing and laughing in their dressing rooms. With her hand against the wall, Gahyeon began to wander around, trying to find some sort of quiet within the chaos. She passed by several people she knew, including Moonbyul, who stopped her to ask what was going on.

“Gahyeon? You look a little shaken… are you okay?”

“I– Well– I’ll be okay, Byul. I just need a minute to myself, y’know?”

Moonbyul narrowed her eyes for a moment before the realization hit and she nodded. “Ah, I see… I understand. We’re down the hall from your group if you need anything, okay? Don’t hesitate to come in if you need it,” and with a gentle smile, the older woman was disappearing to the opposite direction. The half-hearted smile from Gahyeon at Moonbyul’s offer disappeared within seconds, the worried look coming back. The color was draining from her face the longer she kept walking, and she was feeling herself shake. When she thought she found the quiet, she immediately slid down against the wall and let herself lay down. Her hands wandered all over her arms, eventually reaching her shoulders and continuously gripping at them. 

The poor girl was curled up in a ball, trying to hide herself from her fears. 

Her disappearance did not go unnoticed. The rest of Dreamcatcher knew she had gone off, but Minji was the only one who was getting any sense of the situation. 

“Where’s Gahyeon?” She raises her voice, which pauses the activity in the room. Siyeon and Bora both shrugged, while Handong was the one who answered. 

“I saw her leave. I think she went for a walk around the building. Probably the nerves or just boredom.”

Yoohyeon’s gaze snapped towards the door. “No, no… if it was boredom she would’ve announced it.”

Bora ran a hand through her hair, and looked towards Minji, who was halfway out the door. “So… should we go– Minji?”

“I’m going to find her. The rest of you stay here, please. If anyone asks, I went to look for Gahyeon,” the leader stepped back into the room for a moment and grabbed Gahyeon’s blanket, before the door shut. The rest of the members all looked amongst themselves. 

“She’s nervous?”

“I wouldn’t say just nervous, I think she’s overwhelmed,” Siyeon shoves her hands in her pockets. “The least we can do before they get back is make this room comfortable so that Gahyeon can further calm down. Minji can only do so much as one person.”

Yubin nodded. “Yoohyeon and I will go grab snacks. Minji has her blanket.”

“Bora, Siyeon, and I will rearrange the room,” Handong stood up from her seat and set her phone down. “We have a solid hour and thirty minutes before we have to be on that stage live in front of an audience. Let’s not waste time. Gahyeon needs us.”

Yoohyeon and Yubin both headed towards the door, with the door opening and closing in seconds. There were murmurs from them and the manager, before the three voices went away in a unified shuffle. That part was set in stone, and now it was the other three’s turn. 

“Last time Gahyeon was like this, she was curled up into a ball. How can we put the couches together to give her some sort of bed or something that she can rest on?” Bora scrunches her nose up, furrowing her eyebrows in the attempt to envision something. “Okay, I think I got it. She didn’t like that it was too bright. Help me move the couches and clear the room up.”

––––––––––

While the other five were on their separate tasks to try and remotely help, Minji was looking everywhere she could think of. The building was huge, but surely Gahyeon could have not gone that far right? Clutching onto the blanket, Minji quickened from a fast walk to a jog. She did bump into numerous people, and apologized, but it was all in passing. Her priority was to be there for her maknae. A few of the staff members were shocked to see Minji running down the halls, but they didn’t question it. Her gaze was enough to silence them.

Once the commotion began to be behind her, Minji’s ears were listening for any sort of noise from Gahyeon. Even if it was a small mutter, she would prefer to know that her maknae was ‘okay’ and not in harm’s way. The sense of urgency heightened when the building seemed to enter a quiet spell, and Minji’s ears picked up soft, but rattled-sounding breathing. “Gahyeon–” She spat under her breath, forcing herself to go from that fast walk into a full sprint. 

Gahyeon was curled up, her hands tightly gripping her shoulders. Tears were streaming down her face, her mouth slightly parted to allow herself to attempt to breathe. Her eyes were shut tighter than ever, which added on to the pained look on her face.

Skidding to a halt, Minji’s eyes darted around until she looked down. Gahyeon was not too far off from her, and curled up in a ball. The furrowed brows eased up into a more worried look, with Minji almost sliding to be next to Gahyeon. She helps her sit up, and Gahyeon quits gripping her shoulders to immediately cling onto Minji. Minji takes the blanket and wraps it around them both, bringing a hand up to run it through Gahyeon’s hair, while the other gently draws circles on her back.

––––––––––

“Aha! This is perfect!”

Bora’s smile grew as her hands rested on either side of her hip, seeing her arrangement of the room. “I don’t know about you two, but I think we did really good! It’s nice and dim, the room’s cooled off a lot, and we even made the couches a comfy spot for Gahyeonie. Only took us forever to move the couches because we’re three but… we still did it.”

Siyeon cracks a grin, putting a hand on Bora’s shoulder. “We did good. Question is how are the others doing.”

“I have an answer to that,” Handong picks her phone up, putting it on speaker. “Yoohyeon, how are things on your end?”

_“We’re okay over here– just figuring out what else we can buy Gahyeon for later. She’s going to have a rough night after this so we’re trying to plan ahead and see what we can do in terms of snacks and stuff for tonight. How’s the room coming along?”_

“We finished up just now. Fair warning, it is a lot colder than when you left.”

_“Sounds perfect. The couches?”_

“Like a comfy bed. Bora’s proud of herself.”

_“Figures. Sounds like a Bora thing. We’ll be there soon if everything goes well. Any updates on Minji and Gahyeon?”_

“None,” Siyeon interjects. “We don’t even know if Minji found Gahyeon or if she got lost. This place is huge, Yoohyeon. We’re hoping and banking on the fact Minji found Gahyeon. If we don’t hear anything by the time you two get back we might have to go searching for them ourselves. I say Bora should do it.”

“No, wait–”

_“Does it matter?”_

Yubin cuts in. Seems she was hearing the conversation.

_“Thought so. It really doesn’t matter who goes looking for them. We can’t go on as six members. We’re seven or none. If we get back and they haven’t come back, someone will have to go. It really does not matter who goes, just go find them.”_

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Handong sighs. “We’ll see you soon. I’ll text back if they come before you.”

Yoohyeon looks to Yubin and nods to her before responding to Handong.

_“Sounds good to me. We’ll hurry up to be there.”_

Bora watches as Handong puts her phone down, and she cocks her head to the side. “Has no one really heard anything from Minji? Do you really think she got lost in this building?”

“My feeling’s more towards she found Gahyeon and giving her the attention she needs,” Siyeon raises an eyebrow. “I truly doubt Minji got lost. If I was in her position, I wouldn’t answer texts either. I’d prefer giving my attention to the person who needs help.”

––––––––––

“I love them, I do… but is it that important who we send to find Minji and Gahyeon?” Yubin raises an eyebrow, looking to Yoohyeon for an answer. 

“No, but I’m sure they were joking when they said that. It’s a heavy situation, can’t blame them too much for trying to liven the mood,” Yoohyeon looks down as she puts a box into her basket. “Besides, I think Gahyeon will be happy to have cupcakes later tonight. Do we have everything?”

“I think so. Manager went to grab drinks for all of us for now and for tonight too. I really think we might be set.”

“Perfect. Let’s head to the front and get ready to take these back to the girls.”

––––––––––

Gahyeon buried her face into Minji’s shoulder, allowing her sobs to grow louder. Minji had to fight back her own tears of seeing Gahyeon so distraught. She rested her chin on top of Gahyeon’s head and began to gently rock her side to side. “Gahyeonie?” Minji gently called her name, trying to get the girl to look up at her. It worked, because a red faced, tear stained Gahyeon looked up. She looked terrified. “What’s going on, my love? What happened?”

“I can’t–”

“Take your time.”

Gahyeon fell into a silence as she tried to compose herself enough to talk to Minji.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Minji–”

“It’s okay, Gahyeonie… you’re okay. I promise to you that you’re safe,” Minji tightens her embrace a little. “Don’t force yourself to talk if you don’t feel like it. You can tell me whenever you’re feeling comfortable enough, okay?”

“Minji, I couldn’t get up– And the room was closing in–”

“I know, my love… I know. I can see it in your face. You’re shaken up…”

A sniffe. Gahyeon forced herself to open her reddened eyes, the glossiness and tears falling making Minji’s heart hurt further. “What if I can’t do this? What if I fuck up? What if everyone gets mad at me for not singing or doing–”

“Then they can deal with me,” Minji stood firm with her words. “They can directly address their concerns to me. I am the leader, so I will take the burden off of you whenever I can. But Gahyeon, you don’t need to worry. You’re one of the best out there. You’ve done amazing every time, and it’s okay to mess up. I mess up all the time. You’re not some machine, Gahyeonie. You’re a human being with real feelings.”

Another sniffle. Gahyeon’s doll-like look was breaking Minji’s heart. The hurt eyes and the pout were absolutely an image she would never be able to get rid of. It was stuck in her head like a bad virus festers inside of a body. “Do you want to go back to the dressing room and lay down somewhere more comfortable? Like one of the couches?”

“Can we?”

“Of course. Get up whenever you feel ready to go.”

––––––––––

Forty five minutes before stage time.

Forty five minutes before they became Dreamcatcher.

Bora quietly bopped her head to the beat of her music, drumming out with her fingers on the countertop in front of her. 

Siyeon joined Handong and Yoohyeon in playing on their phones, with Yubin once again watching since she was more focused on keeping herself in the moment.

The door coming ajar caught everyone’s attention as two figures stood right in front of the light. Minji and Gahyeon, with Gahyeon wrapped up in her blanket and Minji clutching onto her like her life depended on it.

“Gahyeonie…” Bora took her one Airpod out and set it back into its case as she looked towards the door.

“Gahyeon.” Yubin looks up from Yoohyeon’s phone, which caught the other three’s attention.

“Gahyeonie!”  
“Gahyeon!”

“Yeonie?”

Gahyeon was shocked to see the room was dimmer, and that it felt a lot cooler than the hallway. She sniffled, and headed towards the couches, pulling Minji down with her to bury her face into Minji’s shoulder. “You guys shouldn’t have–”

“We do this because we care about you, Yeonie,” Yoohyeon faintly smiles, with Handong and Siyeon nodding for affirmation. “You’re not just a member. You’re also our family, and we’re going to have your back. Don’t worry about it too much, okay? We will be here.”

Bora stood up and reached for the bag next to her, digging into it to find one of Gahyeon’s favorite drinks. “Here… Yooh and Yubin went out to get you some snacks. This was supposed to be for later but I think you could use it now.”

“Who did the room? It looks really nice,” Minji finally speaks up, playing with Gahyeon’s hair as the girl curled up into her. “I’m assuming you, Bora?”

“With Dongie and Siyeon’s help.”

“Mostly Bora. She’s a genius. It was her idea to rearrange the couches like this for Gahyeonie to be able to lay down and be comfortable. I thought of dimming the lights, and Handong made sure that Gahyeon had some spare blankets and pillows to be comfortable. So right there you have…” Siyeon narrows her eyes. “My blanket, Bora’s, Dongie’s, and yours.”

Handong simply nodded.

Minji blinks twice as a sign of understanding, which is well received by the members. She knew minutes had already passed, because Gahyeon had gone completely silent and stopped almost all movement. Minji looked down to see the girl had fallen asleep and remained curled up against her. “Ah… she’s asleep,” Minji lowers her voice’s volume.

“Good, she deserves the rest… the poor thing,” Yubin looks down, shoving her hands into her pockets. “You think her being cozy in here contributed?”

“Of course. But not that… I think the sense of security she gets when she’s with us helped too,” Siyeon began to smile. “Always here for and with you, little Gahyeonie.” 

Yoohyeon and Bora both pulled each other into a side hug, with Handong joining on Bora’s other side. Siyeon pulled Yubin towards her, and the group found themselves not just smiling, but lovingly taking care of Gahyeon and cherishing every good memory they’ve had together with her. Gahyeon unconsciously pulls Minji closer, which gets a small huff out of the woman. “She’s… vice gripping… me–”

“It’s what happens when you’re the leader,” Bora grins.

––––––––––

Just for that one night, the girls had spoken to their manager about sleeping in one of the larger dorm rooms. The other six refused to leave Gahyeon alone after the events of that day, knowing she would possibly fall victim to her mind again. 

So there they were as seven, sitting in one huge bed and laughing at videos. Minji kept most of her attention on Gahyeon, keeping her maknae close to her for the whole night. “Pass me the Pringles,” her hand opens up and reaches past Gahyeon’s arm, with Yoohyeon handing Minji a can.

“Minji.”

The room falls silent for a moment. Everyone’s gaze goes to Gahyeon. Minji distances herself a little to properly make eye contact. 

“Thank you for coming to find me earlier. I didn’t know if anyone was going to notice that I was gone, or if anyone was going to come look for me. I normally don’t let my nerves get that bad but it was such an important event for us that my mind played tricks on me.”

“It happens, Gahyeon. You were just feeling your emotions. I said it way earlier, but you’re not a robot, you’re human.”

Gahyeon grins a little, tearing up before hugging Minji. “Thank you, unnie.”

“I’m always here for you.”

And as the hours passed, one by one, the girls began heading to sleep, leaving Minji to be the last to succumb to her sleepiness. 

Gahyeon was the first. She curled herself up against Minji for comfort.

Bora found herself somehow on top of Siyeon and Handong, with the other two not even noticing until possibly the morning. 

Yoohyeon had fallen onto the floor and didn’t bother to get back on the bed. 

Yubin was at the edge, which was where Yoohyeon originally was. 

Minji watched as they all fell asleep and as that slight commotion happened, all with a smile on her face. What brought her the most comfort was Gahyeon feeling safe in her arms. “Good night, everyone… and good night to you, Gahyeonie.” Leaving a kiss on Gahyeon’s forehead, Minji nestled herself into position without waking Gahyeon up. She found herself staring past the girl and to the window for a while before she finally fell asleep herself. 

But before she truly fell asleep, there was a murmur from Minji directed to Gahyeon.

_“I’ll always be by your side.”_

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Possibly my last work for a while. Maybe for the rest of time. 
> 
> Everything after the Hanahaki AU (I Hate It) has performed incredibly poorly, especially the completed works. I think I'll be going on an indefinite writing hiatus. Seeing such a downward trend definitely hurts, and it just... drains motivation to continue creating. If you really want to see how Ascension and Distant Love end, you'll have to DM me directly on Twitter (@Maltishu) for the links to the folder. I don't plan on posting them... 
> 
> It's a sad way to go but... sometimes it's better to quit to not lose your love for something. 
> 
> Thanks for reading my stuff. It was fun while it lasted. 
> 
> If you want to keep up with me, @Maltishu on Twitter. I tweet a lot. Like too much for my own good. 
> 
> This has been your local Maltese, over and out.


End file.
